Vehicle load floor

ABSTRACT

One embodiment of the present invention is a load floor ( 14 ) for attachment to a rear portion ( 18 ) of a vehicle floorpan ( 20 ). The load floor ( 14 ) includes a one-piece injection-molded body ( 42 ) that has a panel portion ( 44 ), one or more reinforcement members ( 84 ) coupled to the panel portion ( 44 ), and one or more support members ( 46 ) extending from the panel portion ( 44 ). The support members ( 46 ) are configured for supporting the one-piece injection-molded body ( 42 ) on the floorpan ( 20 ) and minimizing a load span ( 32–36 ) across said panel portion ( 44 ). Also, the reinforcement members ( 84 ) are utilized for sufficiently reinforcing the panel portion ( 44 ) for supporting a predetermined load and minimizing deflection of the panel portion ( 44 ).

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to vehicles, and moreparticularly to a load floor having a lightweight robust constructionfor supporting a substantially high load within a vehicle.

BACKGROUND

Automotive manufacturers are well known for producing robust vehiclesfor carrying substantially high loads. For example, a typical small ormid-sized SUV can have a sufficiently strong load floor for supportingan approximately 200-pound load over about a 70-millimeter diameterdisc, while deflecting less than about 10-millimieters.

One known load floor includes a recessed receptacle for storing a sparetire. This spare tire typically has a sufficiently strong constructionfor supporting a substantially high load placed across the load floor.

Another known load floor, as typically integrated within pick-up trucks,is comprised of sheet metal with the spare tire stored on the undersideof the vehicle beneath the load floor. One skilled in the art willunderstand that the sheet metal typically is sufficiently strong forsupporting the high cargo load.

It would be desirable to provide a vehicle load floor with a lightweightrobust construction for supporting a substantial load, providingadditional storage space, minimizing noise that can be generated betweenvehicle components, and decreasing manufacturing cycle time, as well ascosts associated therewith.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One embodiment of the present invention is a vehicle load floor having arobust one-piece injection-molded body for supporting a substantiallyhigh load. The one-piece injection-molded body has a panel portion, oneor more reinforcement members coupled to the panel portion, and one ormore support members extending from the panel portion for supporting theload floor on the vehicle floorpan. The support members are configuredfor evenly supporting the one-piece injection-molded body so as toprovide two or more generally small load spans across the load floor.

One advantage of the present invention is that a load floor is providedthat has a robust construction for supporting substantially heavy cargowithin the vehicle.

Another advantage of the present invention is that a load floor isprovided that has additional storage space within the vehicle forvarious items, e.g. a spare tire jack.

Yet another advantage of the present invention is that a load floor isprovided that has a lightweight construction for enhancing fuel economyand overall vehicle performance.

Still another advantage of the present invention is that a load floor isprovided that can be quickly installed within a vehicle so as tominimize the manufacturing cycle time and the costs associatedtherewith.

Yet another advantage of the present invention is that a load floor isprovided that minimizes the noise that can be generated from betweenabutting interfaces of vehicle components.

Still another advantage of the present invention is that a load floor isprovided that has a generally flat construction for carrying generallylarge-sized cargo and/or a substantial amount of smaller-sized cargowithin the vehicle.

Other advantages of the present invention will become apparent uponconsidering the following detailed description and appended claims, andupon reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of this invention, reference shouldnow be made to the embodiments illustrated in greater detail in theaccompanying drawings and described below by way of the examples of theinvention:

FIG. 1A is a rear perspective view of a vehicle having a second row ofseats folded forward for providing a generally flat floor assembly witha load floor integrated therein, illustrating the load floor in a closedconfiguration, according to one advantageous embodiment of the claimedinvention;

FIG. 1B is a rear perspective view of the vehicle shown in FIG. 1A,illustrating the load floor in an open configuration;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the vehicle shown inFIG. 1A, as taken along line 2—2, illustrating the load floor havingsupport members extending therefrom for distributing a loadsubstantially across the load floor and minimizing load spansthereacross;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a one-piece injection-molded body of the floorassembly shown in FIG. 1A;

FIG. 4 is a perspective bottom view of the one-piece injection-moldedbody shown in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the one-piece injection molded bodyshown in FIG. 4, as taken along line 5—5, illustrating the body having asupport member with a footing portion for attachment to a vehiclefloorpan.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following figures, the same reference numerals are used toidentify the same components in the various views.

The present invention is particularly suited for a vehicle load floorwith a lightweight robust construction, which has two or more generallysmall load spans for supporting substantially high loads of cargo. Inaddition, this load floor preferably is integrated within a rear regionof a vehicle and provides a generally flat floor-level surface from aforward-most seat location to a rearward-most location in a vehicleinterior. In this way, the embodiments described herein employstructural features where the context permits.

However, various other embodiments are contemplated having differentcombinations of the described features, having additional features otherthan those described herein, or lacking one or more of those features.For instance, the load floor can instead be integrated within anintermediate region or a forward region of the vehicle as desired. Byway of another example, the load floor can instead be installed within apassenger vehicle, which lacks a generally flat floor-level surface fromthe forward-most seat location to the rearward-most location of thevehicle interior. For these reasons, it is contemplated that theinvention can be carried out in a variety of other modes and utilizedfor other suitable applications as desired.

Referring now to FIGS. 1A and 1B, there are shown rear perspective viewsof a vehicle 10 having a floor assembly 12, according to oneadvantageous embodiment of the claimed invention. As detailed below,this floor assembly 12 is comprised of a load floor 14 and a back-seatsurface 16 movable between an upright position (shown in FIG. 1A) and afolded position (shown in FIG. 1 b) for supporting a high load. FIG. 1Ashows the load floor 14 in a closed configuration while FIG. 1B showsthe load floor 14 in an open configuration.

As best shown in FIG. 2, the load floor 14 is secured to a rear portion18 of a floorpan 20 with the back-seat surface 16 being substantiallyaligned with the load floor 14. The back-seat surface 16 is the rearside of one or more second-row seats 24, which are folded forward forproviding a generally flat surface 26 extending between a forward-mostseat location 28 and a rearward-most interior location 30. This featureis beneficial for carrying substantially large-sized cargo and/or agenerally large amount of smaller-sized cargo within the vehicle 10.However, as introduced hereinabove, it is contemplated that the loadfloor 14 can instead be utilized for a variety of other suitableapplications as desired.

As detailed below, the load floor 14 has a lightweight robustconstruction with two or more generally small load spans 32, 34, 36, 38,40 for supporting substantially high loads of cargo.

With specific attention to FIG. 2, the load floor 14 includes aone-piece injection-molded body 42 (“body”) with a panel portion 44 andone or more support members 46′, 46″ extending therefrom for supportingthe panel portion 44 on the floorpan 20 of the vehicle 10. These supportmembers 46′, 46″ are configured for providing five generally small loadspans 32, 34, 36, 38, 40. In this way, the panel portion 44 and a covermember 48, which is coupled to the panel portion 44, are sufficientlysupported by the nearby support members 46′, 46″ so as to minimize thedeflection of the panel portion 44 and the cover member 48.

In this embodiment, the support members include one continuousload-bearing external wall 46′, which extends from a periphery 50 of thepanel portion 44, and two or more internal walls 46″, which extend froman internal region 54 of the panel portion 44. In this regard, theexternal wall 46′ and the internal walls 46″ (hereinafter “supportmembers 46′, 46”) are sufficiently positioned for providing generallysmall load spans 32, 34, 36, 38, 40 respectively for the panel portion44 and the cover member 48. In other words, the support members 46′, 46″are positioned for distributing an applied load across the load floor14.

It is contemplated that the panel portion 44 can merely haveload-bearing pillar members or walls extending therefrom instead of theload-bearing containers 52.

One skilled in the art will appreciate that this construction issufficiently strong for evenly supporting a substantially high load andminimizing deflection of the load floor 14. In fact, this efficientconstruction is sufficiently robust that the body 42 can be comprised ofsomewhat low-strength materials, e.g. thin and/or lightweight materials,and sufficiently support a high load.

Another advantage of this construction is that these support members46′, 46″, provide substantially small interface surfaces for contactingthe floorpan 20. This feature is beneficial for minimizing the squeaksand the other noises that can otherwise be produced by abuttinginterfaces between the vehicle components.

Each container 52 includes a cylindrical portion 56 that extends fromthe panel portion 44 and a bottom interface portion 58 extending fromthe cylindrical portion 56. In this embodiment, the cylindrical portion56 is sized sufficiently long for contacting the bottom interfaceportion 58 with the floorpan 20. In that regard, the container 52 is aload-bearing structure for supporting the panel portion 44 of the body42.

As described hereinabove, these containers 52 extend from an internalregion 54 of the panel portion 44 for minimizing load spans 32, 34, 36,38, 40 within the panel portion 44. For this reason, the load floor 14can support substantially high loads with generally small deflection ofthe load floor 14.

It will be appreciated that the cylindrical portion 56 can extend fromvarious regions of the panel portion 44 instead of the internal region54. In addition, the cylindrical portion 56 can be sized for providingclearance between the bottom interface portion 58 and the floorpan 20.In other words, the containers 52 can be non-load-bearing structures asdesired.

The containers 52 are beneficial for storing a spare tire jack, a hybridelectrical vehicle battery, or various other suitable items as desired.In addition, it is understood that the panel portion 44 can have more orless than two containers 52 extending therefrom.

The cylindrical portion 56 has a generally rectangular cross-section.However, it is contemplated that the cylindrical portion 56 can have avariety of other suitable shapes.

The panel portion 44 also includes partition portions 60 extendingbetween the containers 52 for supporting the cover member 48. Thesepartition portions 60 decrease the load spans 34, 38 across the covermember 48. For that reason, the cover member 48 can support asubstantially high load across those load spans 34, 38. Also, the covermember 48 can have somewhat low-strength construction, e.g. thin and/orlightweight material, and support the substantially high load.

In this embodiment, the load spans 34, 38 are sized according to theopenings of the containers 52. However, it will be appreciated that thebody 42 can include additional recesses, protrusions or various otherstructures for sizing the load spans 34, 38 larger or smaller than theopenings of the containers 52.

Referring back to FIGS. 1B and 2, the body 42 has a recess 62 formedtherein for receiving the cover member 48 and providing the generallyflat surface 26 across the body 42 and cover member 48.

Furthermore, the body 42 includes two pairs of slots 64, 66 formed inopposing sides 68, 70 of the recess 62. These slots 64,66 are utilizedfor receiving two pairs of tabs 72, 74 that extend from the cover member48. In this way, the cover member 48 can be secured to the body 42.

It is contemplated that the cover member 48 can instead be coupled tothe body 42 by way of various other suitable fasteners. For example, inanother embodiment, the cover member 48 can be pivotally coupled to thebody 42 via a conventional hinge member with a detent mechanismintegrated within an opposing end of the cover member 48 so as toselectively secure the cover member 48 to the body 42 in the closedconfiguration.

Also in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, one or more of the supportmembers 46′, 46″ include a footing portion 76 with a hole 78 formedtherein for receiving a fastener 80 and securing the body 42 to thefloorpan 20. This fastener 80 is a threaded belt member. However, it isunderstood that the fastener 80 can instead be a heat stake, variousother suitable fasteners, or any combination thereof as desired.

These footing portions 76 comprise integral fastening structures thatare formed within the body 42 of the load floor 14. In this way, thefooting portions 76 eliminate additional sub-assembly processes forattaching a grommet or other suitable fastener to the load floor 14. Forthat reason, the footing portions 76 are advantageous for decreasing themanufacturing cycle time and the costs associated therewith.

Referring back to FIGS. 2 and 4, the panel portion 44 has a series ofreinforcement members 84 coupled thereto for strengthening the panelportion 44 and supporting a predetermined load applied to the panelportion 44. In this regard, the reinforcement members 84 also minimizethe deflection of that panel portion 44. For example, the reinforcementmembers 84, in combination with the support members 46′, 46″,sufficiently strengthen the panel portion 44 for deflecting the panelportion 44 less than about 10-millimeters when about a 200-pound load isapplied to 70-millimeter diameter disc of the panel portion 44. However,it is understood that the panel portion 44 can be sufficiently strongfor supporting various other loads and maintaining various other degreesof rigidity.

In this embodiment, the reinforcement members 84 comprise a framework ofribs extending orthogonally from the panel portion 44. This frameworkpreferably is a one-piece structure and an integral part of the body 42.In addition, the ribs preferably are positioned substantiallyperpendicular to each other in this framework. One skilled in the artwill appreciate that this construction is beneficial for substantiallystrengthening the panel portion 44 while minimizing the weight and/ornumber of reinforcement members 84.

Furthermore, these reinforcement members 84 are also sized andconstructed for providing clearance from the floorpan 20. Specifically,in this embodiment, the ribs are sized smaller than the peripheralload-bearing wall 46′, 46″ and the load-bearing containers 52. In thisway, the ribs do not contact the floorpan 20 and therefore furtherdecrease the risk of squeaking or other noise that can be producedbetween the abutting interfaces of vehicle components.

It is contemplated that the reinforcement members 84 can instead be wallstructures, one or more additional panel layers mounted to the panelportion 44, or other suitable reinforcement members 84 as desired.Further, it is understood that the reinforcement members 84 can bepositioned relative to each other and extend from the panel portion 44by various suitable angles besides orthogonally and perpendicularly.

Additionally, the body 42 is comprised of a polypropylene material forfurther decreasing the risk of squeaking or other noise that can beproduced by the movement between the abutting interfaces of vehiclecomponents. However, it will be appreciated that the body 42 can insteadbe comprised of various other suitable materials.

While particular embodiments of the invention have been shown anddescribed, it will be understood, of course, that the invention is notlimited thereto since modifications may be made by those skilled in theart, particularly in light of the foregoing teachings. Accordingly, itis intended that the invention be limited only in terms of the appendedclaims.

1. A load floor for attachment to a floorpan of a vehicle, comprising: aone-piece injection-molded body having a panel portion, at least onereinforcement member coupled to said panel portion, and at least onesupport member extending from said panel portion; wherein said at leastone support member is utilized for supporting said one-pieceinjection-molded body on the floorpan and minimizing a load span acrosssaid panel portion; wherein said at least one reinforcement membersufficiently reinforces said panel portion for supporting apredetermined load and minimizing a deflection of said panel portion. 2.The load floor recited in claim 1 wherein said reinforcement membercomprises at least one rib extending from said panel portion.
 3. Theload floor recited in claim 1 wherein said support member comprises atleast one wall extending from said panel portion.
 4. The load floorrecited in claim 1 wherein said at least one support membersubstantially extends from a periphery of said panel portion.
 5. Theload floor recited in claim 1 wherein said at least one support membersubstantially extends from an internal region of said panel portion thatis located inward from a periphery of said panel portion.
 6. The loadfloor recited in claim 1 wherein said one-piece injection-moldedconstruction has at least one hole formed therein for receiving a atleast one fastener and securing said one-piece injection-moldedconstruction to the floorpan.
 7. The load floor recited in claim 1wherein said one-piece injection-molded construction has at least onefastener insert-molded therein for securing said one-pieceinjection-molded construction to the floorpan.
 8. The load floor recitedin claim 1 wherein said one-piece injection-molded body is comprised ofa polypropylene material.